1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improved electronic golf swing analyzers that use an opto-acoustical detection system to analyze a golfer's swing and, more particularly, to such analyzers that are portable and used with a personal computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,829 discloses a compact, portable golf swing training and practice device that measures the speed and total swing time of a golf club during a swing. The device uses a light source and a photo detector that senses the movement of the golf club during the backswing and downswing. A computer is then used to perform calculations and transmit the information to a display or to a printer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,639 discloses a video game sensing system mounted on a pad that uses infrared sensors and LEDs for detecting golf club parameter information by sensing light reflected off the golf club during the swing. The data is collected and transmitted to a microprocessor that determines the distance and path of the ball in the video game.
There are several drawbacks with the electronic golf swing analyzers found in the prior art. For example, to determine club head swing path angle, most analyzers use at least two separate arrays of multiple infrared sensors that are relatively expensive. Another drawback is that infrared sensors may be inaccurate or unusable in certain ambient light conditions.